Improvement in apparatus for lighting gas by electricity



` I hereby declare the following to be a i'ull, clear, and

the xrccompanying drawings, in whichy 'Figure 1 is a vertical ccntml section of a gas-burner employed to transmit the electric current by which the gas-lighting is effected.; l

regulating and controlling the Ilow of peset cetin-1Letters-Pitent-recently grinned-me," and i the burner, 'so as to ignite the gus issuing therefrom.

" "lighting of `street-'burners by that if `one lampR or burner be out of the reservoir-Ay; of quicksilver or oth @oneri with-thetigrcund through the medium of InV order to eiicct the closing of the cirgiiit only when tbcgas escapes from the burner,

i the `burner land the reservoir, allexible tube'or sack, d,

of thin rubber or other suitable material capable otl l 'initui gister @wettelijke Letters Patent N 90,626, dated J une 1, 1869.

` IMPRCEIVENT IN A 'PPARAT'US FOR LIGHTING GAS`BY; ELECTRICITY.

The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent To whom it 'ma-y conce/rn Be. iteknown that I, ARTHUR BARBARIN, of New Orleans-in the parish ot. Orleans, und Stute of Louis'ina,xhave invented ceriuin new and useful Improvemuts in Lighting Gos by Means of" Electricity; and

exact description of' the sume, reference heilig hud to to which my improvements are applied.

Figure '2 is a like'esection of u modification of the same, Figure 3 is a like section of' a further moditiczttiom Figures 4,5, 6, :uid 7, ure sectional views ofgasburners, showing the various means which muy be My invention principnlly relates tothe methodot gas to burners,

lnyfobject is to devise means, whereby the pressure of 'the gas, as it flows to the burner, may be used to close tue electrical circuit, and thus either produce a `"spor-kbl" heat platinum wire or spongy platinum over y My object is further to eect readilyand simply the means of electricity, at the lume time rendering erich` burner entirely independent `of the other, so far as the lighting of the gas and the flow of gas to the burner are concerned, so.

order, the rest will not be therebyaiected. All theset'eatu'res of my invention can best be explained and understood by reference 'to the drawings. Thegas-burner represented in tig. 2, is one in which y er liquid, is combine?. with the bent end B B' of the gas induction iipee, as described in the Letters Patent-above men- `'Ihe issuing from the burner C, is (ignited by "leans ot'yelectricity passing through the wires a a',

rrangedliibove' the orifice of the burner, as seen in thefiigur. v- I I Ehe two wiresv are united by fine platinumwire b, pjovided on each side with a series of `line projecting *points ,Theyiare h'eld 'to the burner iu a yoke, c, oi' some means of binding-screws.

sxcitin'g any electrical current, and the wire a* cot nects the gaspipe A, and otherdevices 'which will now be described.

I inter'pse between.

"'k'eyagain'st :t h, provided with a binding-screw which holds the wire l .ceases,\the sack d will collapse,-

taining thesame'results. In

I stein project-'s a given dista-nce.

and mking part of the same.

being disteuded hy the pressure of' the gas passing up into it from the reserx'oir. One end of this tube is uttziched to the neck ol` thc reservoir, and the other is connected with the lowcr nou-coiulucting lend of the buruer.-v .In order to prevent the tube or sack from being un duly stretched, I surround it by a wire-gauze, Aglu-ss, porcelain, or metal cusc j, to tlie upper end ot which the gais-burner isgapplicd, us representcd'in the figure. To one side ofthe case j, the lower end of the wire a is attached by means oia bimling-screw which is seated in a. stem of ivory or other non-conductor, when the case f is of metul, which passes down into the interior of the case, and has hinged to it a lever or key,. f/, which connects with the wire a., by n ieansof at conductingwire passing through the ivory the case is of metal. Y

This key is so placed inthe case j, that tue suck or tube d, when inflated, will press the lower cud of the platil-iluni"poiit,,iiii finsiilutiiiglst'liiiii',,V

a: connected at its lower end with the gus-pipe A, by m'czuis of a binding-screw, 7c.

4When gas is discharged from the reservoir, it` will distend the tube d, the opening in the lower end of the burner being somewhat smullerthztnthe dischargeorifice in the reservoir, and the tube will consequently press the lower 'end of the' key g against the platinum or other metal point i. '.lhe circuit will now be complete between thc battery and the ground, and the platinum wire and wire' points, b b", consequently bcu come at once suliciently heated to igniteV the gas issuing from the tip of the burner. When the ilow of gas the 'key g willA consequently drop back, and the circ the wire b will no longer be heated. 1 In tig. 2, I have represented another device for ob.

this ligure I` have omitted the reservoir A, which isiitted to the `loxveiuend 'ofthepipeB "f y "Iothe upper end of this ,pipe B'z is attached a case, YD, of glass or other' suitable materiel; into the interior of which thc end of the pipe projects `aysuitalble distance. l l A In lthe pipe is fitted av piston, l, the stein in of which traverses the closed end of the pipe, andrcruiies u small cup, n., from whose bottom the upper end ofthe' The pistou is so arranged, -that when, by reason of its weight, it drops until the buse of the cup rests upon the closed end ol' pipe A, it willfall below one or more perforations .or holes p in the pipe.

In the upper part of the case 1), is placed a block, o, of some non-conducting material, provided with a shoulder, q, against which the top of cup i presses, when in an elevated position, anda tubular proiecting stem, used also when uit being thus broken',

piece, @whichiits "within the cup, by which means the latter, when raised, is completely closed.

From the block projects .a wire screw, s, intended to meet the point of the stein m, which wire screw connects with the stein t on the exterior ot the case Y D, in which thev wire a.l is, held by means of a bindingscrew. The burner. is attached to the top of the case D, and is supplied with gas through oriiices in the l case .around the block o., The arrangement offthe wires o ze, and gas-lighting dericeswaboife tlieburner,

may be similar tothat already described, the battery'- wirc being insulated at the point t' where it is attached to the burner. i

` The operation is as follows:

"he las, mssinv u around 'the reservoir thronvh l D 7 D pipe A, will .press the piston-upward, until the pert'orations 11 are uncovered.

At this point the gas will pass through the perforations, np through the case I) to the burner. -v

But the upward movement ot' the piston has been suiicient to bring the point of the 'stem m in Contact with the wire point s, thus closing` the'circnit, the eonnection'with the grouudbeing made through the 'wire V, below the case D'. A little quicksilver may also hei put in the cup, in order'to insure the closing of the circuit. y

The. platinum wire h will now becomeheatt-ed, and

. the gas, issuing from the burner, will at once be ignited.

When .the pressure of gas is taken oii, the pistou l will fall, the perfor-ations p will be closed, and -the electrical circuit will be broken.

The arrangemei'it ot parts, shownwin 2, may be; modified, as represented in tig. 7

In this case the arrangement of the piston-l and the pipe B2, with perforar-ions p, similarto thatseen iniig.2.. The stern/m of the piston,- however, doesn-notecarry the mercury-cup n., but is linked to a hinged lever, m', 'which carries on its other end an inverted'cup orbell, u', with awire point, s.

I v l Immediately under this cup is placed the mercury-v mercury-cup n, so as toiorm the required coniiectiou between the points s s', as in the instance' previously-' mentioned.

In tig. 3 is shownan arrangementior street-g`as lighting, iu which the platinumwire b and wire points' li are kept constantly heated. f

The wire a is in communication with the battery,

and the wire a* connects with the groundthroughlhe.

medium of the gas-pipe, thecircuit being thus coustantly closed.

In order to render each lamp independentof all others, I make use of an earth-battery, composed of plates o f zinc, and copper, and coke, buried toa suit.

able depth in the earthat the base of the-damp. Any ordinary arrangement of 'an earth-battery will suice, or vone ot Hares or Poailleifs battery-arrange- 1nents,` or other constant battery can be used.,

For gaslighting purposes, under my invention, I require a current ofbut little intensity, as when I enrploy spongy platinum-over the gz is-buiner, it requires. but little heat in order to'bring about the combination I pfthe oxygen `oi' the atmosphere with the hydroeu er, as and for the purposes herein s i witha "i rip of the gas-burner, as described. in testimony wheieoi', '1 have sinned my nam of ordinary coalgas, and so, iu case megas is citrbm rctted hydrogen, spongy platinum and platinuinwire require but little heat in order to ignite the gas.

By" thus using au yearth or otherbattery for each lamp, I make each burner independent of the rest, so that, although the circuit in one be out ot' order, the others will in nowise be aiected thereby, lung. 6 is represented a modiiication'of the gaslightiug device. Y v

'lhe battery-wire afis insulated, and the wire al connects with the ground, thus keeping,r the circuit closed.

Between the contiguous ends ofthe two wires, and

over the orifice lin the top of the burner, I stretch-a thread ot' asbestos, upon which I secure beads of ordiuary platinum 01 spongy platinum.

. ,llie'4 asbestos, of course, is not atiected by the-heat'z of the flame, and the platinum. beadswill at once far1 cilitate the passage of the` electrical spark, so that gas can he ignited with great ease and certainty.

In' conclusion, I would state that I a maware that the I principle of furnishing-asupply of electricity, by meansof aniudepeudent battery with each burner, is notnew, and I make no broad` claim to it, my invention, iu this direction, being confined to the manneriu which suclrbattery is combined witha burner of the kind Yhereiubetore speciiied.

It will -be understood, that instead of making use ot an inductioncoil, I can employ frictional o r free electricity.

-to ignite the gas.

At all points, where heat is excessive, or where the circuit vis closed and broken, the ends of orlinary brass orother wires should-.be tipped with platinum for its equivalent.

f And, finally, it will be seen, that the "iinciple'ot" utilizing the pressure of the gas passing to the burner, forthe purpose of closing the circuit, may be applied in many ways; and,theretore,' while illustrating thel manner in which `the principle maybe carried into feet, I do not limit 'myclain to the special devices herein described. l lVhat I claim, and desire to secure by Leiters lzit eut, is`- l 1. The metholiof closing the circuitv in au eiecrriwl gasrlight-ing apparatus-by means of the 'pressure oi the gas escaping to 'the burneractiugr upon a leser, key, or piston, or` equivalent circuit.4 closed, substrat tially as herein shown and specified.

2'; The method. of street-gas iightiug, by the en ploy-meut, in connection with each burner, in which' the ilow of the gas is iegnlauai by means pi a resei v voir of quicksilver lor other suitable liquid, iu enumnation withthe gas-induction pipe, :..s nrs-ein. descibm,

otan independent battery, combined v.ma-itrrauiiged in operate wit-h the gas-lighting appar-ai .is w' uitgebuit l3. Connecting ythe ends of the wires e a,by'io,prs of an asbestos thrczui, carryin beads ci y' t'iihn'., s its equiialent, and arranged a ore the or finm;

this specineat-ion, before two subscribing witnesses. l

ARTHUR.- BARBA'ittiN;

Witnesses y M. BAILEY, 3W hi. Hl. MECCABE,

In such case, even 'if the wires ar be disconnected, a spark can be thrown across, suliicient 

